The present application relates to an input device which is applicable to a digital camera, a video camera, a mobile phone, a mobile terminal device, a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as PC), a note type PC, a home system electronic apparatus and a remote controller thereof or the like, and an electronic apparatus using the same.
In resent years, it has become in such a state in which a user (operator) images a subject by using a digital camera with various kinds of operation modes and takes various contents in a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) so as to utilize them. These apparatuses such as the digital camera, the mobile terminal device are provided with input devices. As the input device, a key board, an input unit of a JOG dial or the like, and a touch panel formed by combining a display unit, and the like are often used.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an input device 500 relating to related art. The input device 500 shown in FIG. 1 contains a housing 501, a rotary operation unit (hereinafter, referred to as JOG dial 502), a circuit board 503, and a dome switch 504.
The input device 500 has the housing 501 with a predetermined size and the housing 501 has an opening portion 505 at the side portion thereof. The jog dial 502 is mounted on the circuit board 503 in a state in which a key-top portion of the JOG dial 502 is exposed from this opening portion 505. The JOG dial 502 has a circular shape and is mounted rotatably on the circuit board 503 through a shaft 506 (rotation axis). The JOG dial 502 excluding the key-top portion thereof occupies a space within the housing 501.
The JOG dial 502 also has a magnetic material such as a magnet or the like, which is not shown, on the rear surface thereof. Two hall ICs 507, 508, which are placed at the positions interlinking the magnetic field caused by this magnetic material, are mounted on the circuit board 503 with being separated by a predetermined angle, thereby allowing a two-phase rotation detection signal to be outputted by a fact that the magnetic material of the rear surface of the JOG dial cross the hall ICs 507, 508.
Also, a bias member (not shown) biases the shaft 506 from the circuit board 503 toward the outside of the housing 501. The dome switch 504 is mounted on the circuit board 503 which is facing in parallel with the axial direction of the shaft 506 and the dome switch 504 can be turned on or off when the JOG dial 502 is pressed-into against biasing force of the bias member.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-256120 discloses a mobile information terminal and a program therefor in connection with an input device including this kind of JOG dial (see Pages 2 to 3 and FIG. 1). This mobile information terminal contains a terminal device main body, a display unit on the terminal device main body, and a JOG dial approximately at the center of the main body. The JOG dial is provided at a position separated from that of the display unit. This JOG dial rotates clockwise or counterclockwise and an image displayed on the display unit rotates in cooperation with this rotation. Furthermore, when the JOG dial is pushed down in the direction of the main body, the image area changes.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-070505 discloses an input device mountable on an air conditioner or an electronic apparatus such as audio in connection with an input device accompanied by vibrations (see Page 5 and FIG. 3). This input device contains an operation unit possessing functions of a rotary switch, of a push switch, and of a slide switch concurrently, and the selection of the operation item and input determination operation are executed by rotating, sliding or depressing the operation unit. Any vibrations are accompanied with an occasion of the input determination operation.
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of an input device 600 relating to related art. The input device 600 shown in FIG. 2 includes a key-top 602 of a non-rotary type, which has a flat front surface. The input device 600 has a predetermined sized housing 601 and an opening portion 605 at a side portion of the housing 601. The key-top 602 is mounted movably on a circuit board with a part of the key-top 602 being exposed from this opening portion 605. The key-top 602 is mounted so that it is inserted into the opening portion 605 of the housing 601 and the non-operation surface thereof faces the inside of the housing 601. The key-top 602 has a flange 606 and this flange 606 is hooked on an inside portion of the housing 601 around the opening portion 605. This enables the key-top 602 to be prevented from slipping out of the opening portion 605.
A circuit board 603 is provided on the inside of the key-top 602 and the circuit board 603 is provided with a dome switch 604 which is operated so as to be turned on or/and off by the press-in operation of the key-top 602. On the inside of the key-top 602, there are arranged a sensor 613, a pusher piece 619, the dome switch 604, and the circuit board 603 in this order. The pusher piece 619 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the sensor 613 and the side portion of the circuit board 603. When the key-top 602 having the flat front surface is mounted with respect to a side portion of the housing in this manner, the key-top 602 hardly occupies a space within the housing as compared with the above-mentioned JOG dial.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Publication Heisei 02-230310 discloses a menu selection device in connection with a function of an input device (see Page 2 and FIG. 1). This menu selection device includes an item selector and an item input unit. The item input unit is provided on the item selector and the selection and the input of an item are allotted to the same key, and it is constituted such that the item display key and the item selection input key are juxtaposed.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-063230 discloses an input device in connection with a key-top exposed from an opening portion (see Page 9 and FIG. 16). This input device is provided with a window opening at a predetermined position of a casing and an item selection is executed by slide-operating an operation button exposed from this window opening, changeover of an item selection screen of page shift, scroll or the like is executed by press-operating another operation knob.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-063227 discloses an input device (see Page 8 and FIG. 15). This input device is provided with an window opening at a predetermined position of a casing, an item selection is executed by slide-operating an operation button exposed from this window opening, and a predetermined region in the specified item selection screen is zoom-displayed by press-operating another operation knob.
Meanwhile, the mobile information terminal seen in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-256120, in which a display unit and a JOG dial are separately arranged, presents to an operator only a single sense of touch which a mechanical structure is to generate and the actual status is that there can be obtained no sense of touch having impact for the operator. Furthermore, the JOG dial excluding the key-top portion thereof occupies a major space within the housing. Consequently, the area (space) in which other parts are mounted is reduced, which blocks compactification of the electronic apparatus applied with the input device.
Also, in the electronic apparatus seen in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-070505 or Japanese Patent Application Publication Heisei 02-230310, an input device with a touch input function by combining a touch panel selected from various kinds of systems and a display unit is mounted, but when an icon is selected on the display unit, an operator get no sense of touch in synchronization with the selection thereof.
Incidentally, an input device with sense of touch function is constituted by combining a plurality of vibration bodies and an input unit and in case of trying to obtain sense of touch by executing contact-operation linearly on the input operation surface thereof, not only the manufacturing process becomes complicated but also there may be a situation in which no satisfactory sense of touch is obtained when the speed with which the operator executes contact-operation on the input operation surface is different, depending on a fact that a structure for separately arranging a display unit and an input unit as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-256120 and an input function combining a touch panel selected from various kinds of systems and a display unit are only simply combined. As a result thereof, it will cause a cost increase of an electronic apparatus.
According to input devices as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2005-063230 and 2005-063227, the item selection is executed by slide-operating the operation button exposed from the window opening provided at a predetermined position of the casing and the item selection screen of page shift, scroll or the like is changed over by press-operating another operation knob. However, an operation mechanism becomes complicated, so that miniaturization, thinner fabrication or the like of the operation unit may be blocked and it may be a fear that the operability thereof is lowered or malfunction occur. Also, the complicated operation mechanism causes a cost increase.